John R. Miles

This is the show where we explore the art of human flourishing and what it truly means to live like it matters.

Each week, I sit down with changemakers, creators, scientists, and everyday heroes to decode the human experience and uncover the tools that help us lead with meaning, heal what hurts, and pursue the fullest expression of who we're capable of becoming.

Whether you're designing your future, developing as a leader, or seeking deeper alignment in your life, this show is your invitation to grow with purpose and act with intention.

Because the secret to a life of deep purpose, connection, and impact is choosing to live like you matter.

Hey friends, and welcome back.

to PassionStruck.

This is episode 756, and we're continuing our Purpose by Design series.

Over the last few weeks, we've been building a new framework for how we live.

We started by diagnosing the meaning crisis with Arthur Brooks.

We identified the invisible scorecard, that hollow ledger where we track our responsiveness while our intentionality goes bankrupt.

Then, last week, we ran the numbers on the ROI of aliveness.

We've realized that the real equation isn't how much you produce, it's how much life you actually experience for the time you spend.

But this week, we're taking the conversation to the most difficult place of all, the gap.

Because you can still have the map, you can have the audit,

and you can know the math is broken, and you still find yourself sitting in the driveway, unable to move.

On Tuesday, I sat down with Kayla Shaheen to explore the shadow work of why we sabotage our own growth, and yesterday with Bill Burnett and Dave Evans from the Stanford Life Design Lab to talk about how we prototype our way out of these loops.

Now, if you connect all those dots,

They point to a single stubborn reality.

We are circling the wall instead of crossing the threshold.

We've become incredibly good at identifying the problem, but we are still anchored by what I call identity handcuffs.